Morning Line Odds

The morning line odds are the odds you see in the official track program. Most local newspapers also use the program’s morning line odds in their graded handicaps.

The morning line odds are set by a person known as the morning line odds maker, a title frequently shortened to line maker, or odds maker. His task is to predict what each horse’s final odds will be once all of us have "cast our votes" by means of pari-mutuel wagering. The line maker’s predictions are not to be influenced by his opinion of the horse’s chances in the race. Therefore, the morning line is not a reflection of who the line maker likes in a race, or his prediction of how a horse will finish. The line maker’s job is to handicap the bettors, not the horses.